Macbeth Manipulation Essay

513 Words2 Pages

Hernan Blanco Professor Mclntire English Comp. 2 4 April 2024 In William Shakespeare's "The Tragedy of Macbeth," the debate over whether Macbeth is a victim of other people’s influences or if he acts upon his own desires is a great topic to opinionate about. However, upon closer inspection, it becomes clear that while some factors such as the witches' prophecies and Lady Macbeth's manipulation play a role, Macbeth ultimately acts upon his own ambitious nature by committing murders. Macbeth's internal struggle with ambition is evident from the beginning of the play when he begins to think about murder even before talking with the witches. In Act 1, Scene 3, He admits, "My thought, whose murder yet is but fantastical, / Shakes so my single state of man that function / Is smother'd in surmise, and nothing is / But what is not" (Shakespeare). This indicates that Macbeth is already contemplating murder as a means to achieve his desires, even before any external influence from the witches and Lady Macbeth. When the witches tell him their prophecy of him becoming king, Macbeth's ambition gets ignited, and he begins to contemplate murdering the king as a means to accomplish his desires. When Macbeth speaks out loud it reveals his inner turmoil and his awareness of the moral consequences of his actions, showing that …show more content…

When Macbeth initially hesitates to murder King Duncan, Lady Macbeth questions his masculinity and challenges his determination to close out the murder, but she does not physically force him. It is Macbeth who makes the decision to proceed with the murder, which is driven by his ambition and desire for power. After the murder, Macbeth's guilt and paranoia drive him to commit further crazy crimes. Crimes such as ordering the murder of Banquo and his family without Lady Macbeth's direct influence or awareness of the

Open Document